Home For The Holidays
by Briefs Hikaru
Summary: Miari Trunks doesn't know much about this time. There's so many differences, but who would have thought he didn't know about Christmas? And should he accept Bulma's offer to stay in the present? R&R!! ^_^ Finished!! Merry Christmas!!!
1. We meet again: an: I know the chibis age...

A/N: Okies hi! Well as Christmas is just around the corner I decided it was time to start putting out my little contribution to the holiday stories. I was going to write and post this sooner, but I never got any time. (What with this thing called real life I'm supposed to be having and all.) I'm working on this fic still as you're reading this meaning I'm posting before I've edited and gone over it, which I really didn't want to have to do but I want to make sure I get this up before Christmas goes by cuz then I don't think people will be as interested in reading it. if they're interested at all. The point is, please ignore if there are a few mistakes and such. The author was really pressed for time. Well, happy reading!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ, but maybe if I ask really nice Santa will give it to me for Christmas.  
  
(Um, this is a little convo-intro thing I wrote before getting very far in the story. It's only here for your amusement and has no effect whatsoever on the actual plot line.)  
  
It was a normal, lovely, peaceful day a Capsule Corp., until something unusual happened.  
  
Miari: Hold up. Don'tcha think they know that?  
  
Mel: Know what?  
  
Miari: That the day was normal until something unusual happened. Of course when a normal day is interrupted by something unusual it isn't normal anymore. I mean, duh!  
  
Mel: Shaddap, besides, there are some stupid people out there. And in any case, WHO is writing this?  
  
Miari: Unfortunately, you.  
  
Mel: That's right, so shut your mou- Hey!  
  
Miari: ^_^  
  
Mel: Grr.alright. I'll remember that. Just you wait. And this is a fic about you too.  
  
Miari: x_x  
  
Mel: Well in any case, that's not where the story begins.  
  
Miari: I have a bad feeling about this.  
  
  
  
  
  
Home For The Holidays (okay, THIS is the story)  
  
CH 1  
  
  
  
Miari Trunks stood on the edge of the high cliff, looking out at the dirty sunset that to him was one of the most beautiful he'd ever seen, coming down over the once crystal clear water, now polluted brown. The wind whipped around him, playing with his shoulder-long lavender hair.  
  
"I wish you could see this," he whispered, running his fingers around the smooth, baby-blue jar in his hands. "Maybe it isn't as pretty as you remember, but it's nice. You'd like it. Or at least I hope you would." He sighed, clutching it close to him, holding back his tears. "But no matter. At least. now you're free." He crushed the jar in his hands, letting the ashes scatter to the sea with the wind.  
  
"Good-bye. kaasan."  
  
~~~~  
  
Meanwhile, in the other timeline, it was a nice day at C.C. until.  
  
Mrs. Briefs was outside taking care of her flower garden, trimming the bushes and pulling up weeds. In the not-so-far distance you could hear the oncoming of two demi-Saiyans, probably about to be in a world of trouble.  
  
"TRUNKS!!! GOTEN!!!!" yelled Bulma chasing after them. "You both come back here right now!!!"  
  
"Why would we do that Trunks?" asked Goten. Trunks shrugged.  
  
"I don't know maybe she thinks we wanted to blow up Bra's doll house."  
  
"But Trunks, we did."  
  
"That's not the point baka!"  
  
Their running came to a halt as they crashed head-on into what felt like a human would feel crashing into a brick wall. They looked up, rubbing their heads to meet the angry eyes of the Prince of Saiyans.  
  
"Uh, oh." said Goten. Trunks nodded in agreement, jumping to his feet. Vegeta glared down at them.  
  
"Uh. hi otousan." Vegeta scowled, lifting them off the ground by their gi shirts.  
  
"Going somewhere?" he asked. They shook their heads in unison. It was about that time that Bulma finally caught up with them. Despite being out of breath and tired from running, she still managed to have a very intimidating facial expression.  
  
"You.two. In the house. Now." She turned, Vegeta following, dragging the struggling chibis. On the way back, she ranted, "You know I'm busy and have a lot to do to get ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Chichi will be furious with you Goten because she's probably working twice as hard. Honestly, and do you have to torture your sister every day Trunks? You do want to have Thanksgiving right?"  
  
"Yes!" they both answered.  
  
"Well I'm telling you right now that if you keep this up I'll-"  
  
Suddenly, from the distance there was a bright flash out light, bright enough to be noticed even in the daylight of the November morning. Bulma and Vegeta stopped in their tracks and looked over to where it was just in time to see a familiar, yellow capsule drop out of the sky. They looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Forgetting Trunks and Goten for the moment, they left them behind and ran off to the back of their HUGE backyard amongst an area of tall trees.  
  
They climbed over the foliage, looking around for the large, yellow capsule. Spotting it, Vegeta ran over, Bulma following to see Miari Trunks climbing out of the cockpit, jumping to the ground.  
  
"Miari!" Bulma smiled and ran over to give him a huge hug, glad to see her future son after such a long time. "How are you? What's been going on?" she asked. Miari shrugged.  
  
"Nothing much. I just thought I'd come back for a visit."  
  
"I'm glad. I was starting to think you'd never come back to see us."  
  
"Naw. I've just been. busy." He looked over to Vegeta, who was standing, arms crossed. "Hello, otousan," he said. Vegeta grunted by the way of a greeting and turned to head back to the house. "Well, I guess he's doing alright," he said. Bulma nodded as they started walking back towards the house after Miari capsulized his ship.  
  
"Actually, he's changed quite a bit since you've been gone. He's different. Maybe he won't show it at first, but you'll see."  
  
When they got back to the house, the chibis had already gone inside, sitting on the couch, not wanting to get into any more trouble then they were already in. They stared as Miari came in. They looked at each other, mouths slightly open. Miari grinned at the look of shock on their faces as Bulma laughed slightly. Vegeta chose instead, to retreat to the comfort of his gravity room.  
  
"Have a seat Miari. Are you hungry or anything?"  
  
"No, I'm fine thank you." He sat down in on of the recliners as Bulma also sat down across from him, the two chibis on the couch between them. Unable to hold his curiosity, Goten asked,  
  
"Who are you? And why do you look like Trunks?"  
  
"What? I don't look like him!" said Trunks.  
  
"Yes you do! You look exactly like him! Only he's older."  
  
"Do not."  
  
"Do too."  
  
"Do not." "Do too"  
  
"Do n-"  
  
"Wow!" said a voice from the stairs. Everyone turned to see a three-year old Bra coming down the stairs. "Lookie Marron! Lookie Pan!" she said. "There are two Trunks!" Not far behind her, both other girls followed to see what in the world she was talking about.  
  
"Hey she's right!" said Marron, Pan looking over her shoulder. They came down the stairs, looking between them. As fascinated as they were with the site of Miari, he was just as curious about them. Bulma was about to explain before Goku, Gohan, and Videl appeared in the room, via instant transmission.  
  
"Hi Bulma, hope we aren't interrupting anything," said Gohan. "But we felt Miari's ki so we'd thought we'd see what was up."  
  
"Hi Miari," said Goku, "Long time no see!"  
  
"Goku?" he asked, "How are you alive? I thought you died." Goku laughed.  
  
"Well nice to see you too." Miari's face reddened a bit.  
  
"Oh, gomen. I'm glad you're alive again Goku-san. I was just surprised."  
  
"I know that. Don't take it so seriously kid." Miari smiled. Videl stared at him curiously.  
  
"Gohan, who's that?" she asked. "Is this another one of your muscle-head friends I don't know about?"  
  
"Sorry Videl. I forget you don't know these things sometimes. This is Miari Trunks. He's from the future." She stared in confusment at him, not really grasping what the heck he was talking about.  
  
Deciding Gohan could explain things to her later, Bulma introduced him to the latest additions to the Z-team.  
  
"This is you, and his best friend Goten. He's Goku's second son. And this is Bra, your younger sister. Those are her friends, Pan and Marron. Pan is Gohan and Videl's daughter and Marron is Krillen and Eighteen's. This is Videl, Gohan's wife and Mr. Satan's daughter."  
  
Miari Trunks stared at them in wonder. Gohan was married? To the daughter of Mr. Satan no less. And he had a daughter. And a younger sister? Wow! Of course, he assumed that he should have expected things to change in this time. But, Krillen and Eighteen? Hold up!  
  
"Eighteen?" he asked, a bit nervously despite the fact that he no longer had to fear that she was once stronger than him. Gohan nodded.  
  
"Yeah, but don't worry. She's changed. And they're very happy so I don't thinks there's anything to worry about." Miari nodded, trying to get the concept of the once evil android ever being 'nice'. He couldn't. However, he figured he could trust his friends. Looking down at the chibis, he could definitely see the Bulma in Bra and the mix of Krillen and Eighteen in Marron. Now that he looked between Pan and her parents, he could see the resemblance there too. But Videl looked nothing like her father. 'Thank Kami,' he thought. 'No one would want to see a female Satan.'  
  
"So what's new with you Miari?" asked Goku. "It's been a while." He nodded.  
  
"Yes, it has. The androids are gone of course. So is Cell. Things are getting rebuilt and basically that's it. One of the reasons I came back. I was bored. Nothing to do."  
  
"Well, better nothing then something bad right?" smiled Bulma. "You picked a good time to come. Tomorrow's Thanksgiving here. Is it the same there?" Miari stared at her confused.  
  
"Huh? What's that?"  
  
"You know," said Goten, "That's when kaasan make a bunch of food and you all get together with people and talk about what you're thankful for and eat and eat and eat ALL DAY! Then you get to play around and it's SO fun! It's the BEST holiday ever!"  
  
"No it isn't doofus," said Trunks, interrupting. "The BEST holiday is Christmas."  
  
"Oh yeah!" said Goten, "I forgot about that." Bra giggled.  
  
"I love Christmas! That's when Santa Clause comes." Pan and Marron nodded, eyes big.  
  
"I can't wait," said Pan. "Christmas is soon too."  
  
"Uh, huh," agreed Marron, "This year, I'm gonna stay up and catch Santa." Miari stared at them, still lost. Bulma noticed the look on his face.  
  
"You don't know about Santa?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know anything you're talking about," he said. "Thanksgiving? Christmas? What in the world.?" Everyone stared at him amazed.  
  
"You're telling me you've never heard of Christmas?" asked Goku. Miari shook his head. Bra stared wide-eyed.  
  
"Never?! You've never known about Santa? Who did you think brought the presents?"  
  
"Um.what presents?"  
  
"Bra, why don't you and Trunks go upstairs with your friends and let us talk to Miari?" said Bulma.  
  
"But kaasan!" complained Trunks.  
  
"No buts. Go," she ordered. He sighed and went upstairs, the other kids following.  
  
"And I'm gonna tell daddy you broke my doll house!" said Bra.  
  
"Aww, you're such a baby," he complained.  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are too."  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are too."  
  
"Am not!"  
  
It kept going back and forth as their voices faded going upstairs. Bulma turned back to him, shaking her head.  
  
"Forgive them. They never quit. So what this about you never hearing about any of this?" Miari shrugged.  
  
"I've just never heard of it. What is it?"  
  
"Well," said Gohan, "Thanksgiving is pretty much like Goten said. You get together with your family and best friends and celebrate what you're thankful for. You also eat a lot. Turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, gravy, pie, cornbread, stuffing, and anything else that you got. We usually spar a lot too. It's fun."  
  
"And then there's Christmas," said Bulma. "We usually get together for that too. But for Christmas you get a tree and decorate it and put presents under it. Then on Christmas morning you exchange presents with everybody. That's a lot of fun too. Santa Clause," she dropped her voice, "isn't real. But he's fun for kids. Supposedly he comes down your chimney on Christmas Eve and leaves presents for kids if they've been good all year. If not they get a lump of coal."  
  
"Didn't you ever do anything like that?" asked Videl. "What kind of future are you from?"  
  
"Videl, his future's different from ours," said Gohan. "Do you remember the story I told you about Cell and the androids?" She nodded. "Well, you remember when I mentioned a person from the future that warned us about them? That person was the future version of Trunks. This is him." Her eyes widened.  
  
"Are you serious? From the future?" Miari nodded.  
  
"Yeah," said Gohan, "So his time didn't have warning. There, we've all died."  
  
"Everyone? Even me?"  
  
"I don't know if you're alive. I have never seen you, or at least I don't think so. But of everyone else who is part of the Z-team here, no one is alive."  
  
"No one? Not even your mom?" Miari shook his head.  
  
"What?!" said Bulma, "I thought she wasn't killed."  
  
"She wasn't," he said, "But she got sick a little over a year ago. It got really bad and since we don't really have any resources for anything.There wasn't much anyone could do."  
  
"Oh, honey," Bulma said, hugging him, "I'm sorry." Everyone nodded, not really knowing what to say.  
  
"Chichi's gone too. Same thing. It was happening to a lot of people." Bulma hugged him tighter.  
  
"I'm so sorry honey. Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay," he said, pulling away. "I just don't know what to do anymore. I could help rebuild, but it's beginning to seem sort of pointless. Everyone's dying. There's nothing left over there. There's nothing I can do to help them, no matter how much I want to. I'm not a doctor. Even if I was, there are no materials for anything. I'd even like to take some medicine back if I could. But my ship barely made the last trip and there's no way I could make more fuel or produce the energy to recharge it for enough trips to take all the medicine and doctors for everyone and then get them all back on top of that. I just don't know what to do."  
  
"Man, that's rough," said Goku.  
  
"What do you plan to do when you go back?" asked Gohan. Miari shrugged, repeating,  
  
"I don't know what to do." He shook his head. "I'm all out of ideas. Not that I usually had them. Mostly it was my mother doing all the brain work." He paused, clenching his fist on his knees. "Man! If only she were here! I know she'd have an idea! A way to get us out of all of this!" Bulma knelt in front of him, looking him in the eyes.  
  
"Trunks-kun," she said, "I know I'm not your mother, but I'm pretty close. I don't know fully what it's like over there, but I can tell you: You've done SO much already. Everyone over here owes you everything they have. I know if there was a way you could help you would do it, but the way things are looking, maybe you can't." There was a pause of silence between everyone. Trunks said nothing, turning away from her.  
  
"Trunks," she added, "Stay here." He looked back at her in surprise. "It's like you said, there's nothing left over there. Stay with us here." He looked down, considering.  
  
"I can't." he said slowly, "All those people. I'd feel like I was abandoning them. I can't just leave them to die. Besides, it's my home."  
  
"Trunks, a home is a place that you feel safe and happy, not a place you feel you have to be as a responsibility," said Gohan.  
  
"But it IS my responsibility!" he insisted. "I'm supposed to protect those people. To do anything I can to help."  
  
"But Trunks you HAVE done everything you can," said Goku. "I think you should consider it."  
  
"Please Trunks," said Bulma, "At least think about it. Stay here, just for the holidays. Then you can decide if you want to really go back or not. It's only until January." Her voice became sincere and loving, "If your mother thinks the same way I do, she's say the same. She'd want you to be happy Trunks. Not to live out of obligation." Trunks thought to himself again.  
  
"January.who knows how many more people will be gone by then.Of course with my time machine I should be able to return to the exact time I left if I wanted." Everyone waited, watching the calculations going on behind his eyes. Finally he nodded. "Okay, I'll stay for a while." Bulma and the rest smiled, and she hugged him again.  
  
"Are you done yet?" asked Trunks' voice from upstairs. They turned to look at him and Goten leaning on the stair's balcony rail. Bulma scowled up at him.  
  
"I thought I said go to your room," she said.  
  
"No, you said go upstairs. I'm still upstairs." She sighed.  
  
"Mommy! Trunks won't apologize!" came Bra's yell from her room.  
  
"I didn't do anything!" he yelled back.  
  
"Did too!" said Bra coming out of her room.  
  
"We did not!" said Goten.  
  
"Did too!" argued Bra, Marron, and Pan. The others shook their heads; already know where this was going. Bulma, Videl, Goku and Gohan all stormed upstairs, ready to punish their respective offspring. Miari sighed, leaning back into the recliner.  
  
This was going to be an interesting few weeks.  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay, hope you like the start! Please R&R people! I'm working hard on getting this to come out right and I need some support! Think of it as an early Christmas present!  
  
BTW: If any one knows of any site were you can download a DBZ song called Okarei My Boy (Welcome Home My Boy) I would be ETERNALLY grateful if you could give me the URL. I've looked everywhere and I feel I'm never going to find this song on the net. If I can't find it I'm going to probably have to special order it from a store that'll charge me twice what the price is of their normal import CDs and I'm a poor, broke person that don't got money for that. So if you anyone knows of anything, please inform me! Thank you! 


	2. Reindeer Games: an: btw, the disclaimer ...

A/N: Okay peeps, here be chapter 2! Enjoy!  
  
CH 2  
  
The next morning, Miari was woken up by a hard smack to the head, followed with bouncing all around him. He sat up to see Trunks bouncing all over his bed.  
  
"Oww," he said, rubbing his head, "Chibi, what are you doing?"  
  
"Waking you up," he said, flopping down at the foot of the bed, "It's already seven."  
  
"Seven!?" he asked, "In the morning?"  
  
"Of course silly! Come on! Get outta bed!" Miari groaned, laying back down and pulling the covers over his head. Chibi tilted his head in confusment. Why did it seem people always did that when he came to wake them up? "Miari," he whined, shaking him, "Come on. Everyone else is already waking up and mom says you have to get up too."  
  
Miari sat up again, staring at Chibi. He smiled up at his future counterpart.  
  
"How old are you?" asked Miari.  
  
"I'm gonna be 10 in May."  
  
"Nine and still bouncing off the walls at insane hours of the morning?" Chibi crossed his arms, scowling.  
  
"It's not my fault you're so lazy," he said. Miari laughed, climbing out of the bed and pulled on a spare blue T-shirt and white pants Gohan had lent him until Bulma dragged him shopping for his own clothes. Led by Chibi, he came downstairs to meet Bulma, dressed in her favorite red dress and Vegeta, for once not in the gravity room, in his all blue workout suit.  
  
"Well I guess keeping him in the house was enough of a challenge without getting him in something besides his beloved spandex." he muttered to himself. Chibi laughed, covering his mouth.  
  
"Hey you two," she said, "Glad to see Chibi got you out of bed Miari."  
  
"Yeah, I'm not used to waking up so early. I prefer to sleep till at least ten."  
  
"Ten?!" she laughed, "Well you're just gonna have to get over that mister. Now come on. I've already packed up everything we need and we were supposed to be at Chichi's by six thirty."  
  
They went outside and after climbing into the capsule plane took off for Goku's house. Miari leaned against the window, looking down at the view. Despite the day had just started, already people were rushing back and forth all over the city below. Some were running errands, some going to work, others going to see a parade that was being held downtown on the main street. On many of the building, there were bright green, red, white, and sometimes blue, orange, yellow, and purple lights. Also hanging around on the doors of stores and the few houses in the city there were what looked like a tree branch that had been bent into a circle, some with ribbons, bells, or other decorations. He stared, confused by the sight.  
  
"Bulma-san, what's that for?" he asked. She look over to see what he was talking about.  
  
"What's what? Oh, those? There just decorations for Christmas. I swear they start celebrating Christmas earlier and earlier every year. Before you know it it'll start being advertised before Halloween."  
  
"Halloween?" he asked, more confused than when he'd asked the question in the first place. Why in the world would a bent tree be used as a decoration? And all the lights everywhere seemed like a waste of electricity. 'Of course,' he reminded himself, ' I'm sure that's less of a concern here.'  
  
After leaving the city limits, they passed over the more suburb areas. On the lawns of almost all of the houses were some form or another of a fake snowman or some kind of deer with big horns. Most of them were black nosed but one in every set had a red nose. He wondered what in the world that could mean. Maybe the others beat him up and he had a bloody nose. On the houses there were also lights and signs that said things like "Merry Christmas", "Happy Holidays", or "Santa Stops Here".  
  
'Santa?' he thought, 'I guess that's that Santa Clause guy.' All in all, he was very interested and confused by these things. Yamcha, who was riding with them looked over at him. He laughed.  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked. Yamcha shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. It's just I never thought of what it'd be like to never see Christmas. I mean, how do you not know about Santa, or Christmas lights, or Rudolf.."  
  
"Rudolf? Who's that?" Bra squealed with delight.  
  
"Rudolf! I love Rudolf! I know the whole song too!"  
  
"Song?"  
  
"Yup! You wanna hear it? It goes like this: Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer! Had a very shiny nose!"  
  
"Whoa, wait. What the heck's a reindeer?" he asked.  
  
"It's like a deer with horns. And it flies on Christmas because of the magic," said Trunks, very informative-like.  
  
"Anyways," said Bra, "I wasn't done. Now where was I? Oh yeah! And if you ever saw it, you could even say it glows!"  
  
"Like a light bulb!" said Trunks.  
  
"Trunks don't interrupt! I wasn't done!" Bra whined. Trunks snickered.  
  
"Um. why does his nose glow?" asked Miari. Bra sighed.  
  
"Because! He has a red nose! Weren't you listening to me? Now next is: All of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names!"  
  
"Like Pinocchio!" said Trunks. Bra scowled as she continued.  
  
"They never let poor Rudolf, join any reindeer games!"  
  
"Like Monopoly!" Trunks interjected.  
  
"Trunks!" Bra yelled. He laughed. "Mommy! Trunks is being a butt head!"  
  
"Trunks leave your sister alone," she ordered. Trunks just smirked, leaning back in his seat. Miari shook his head, wondering if that had ever been him.  
  
"Bra," he asked, trying to get her anger off of Trunks, "Why did the others make fun of him? And what's a Pinocchio?"  
  
"Because he has a red nose! Reindeer are supposed to have black noses silly. Pinocchio is just Trunks being stupid."  
  
"And what are reindeer games? And what's Monopoly?" Trunks snickered.  
  
"Um. I don't know what reindeer games are cuz they're reindeer games not people games. But they don't play Monopoly!" she said to Trunks.  
  
"How do you know? Have you ever asked a reindeer? Maybe they like to play Monopoly. And Monopoly is a board game FYI. And it takes forever to play and it's really boring but I always beat Goten in it so it's not so bad."  
  
"Can I please finish my song?" Bra said, then began, "Then one foggy Christmas eve, Santa came to say-"  
  
"Ho Ho Ho!" interjected Trunks again. Bra ignored him.  
  
"Rudolf with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?" Miari stared at Trunks wide-eyed.  
  
"What did you say?" he asked.  
  
"Ho Ho Ho," he said. That's what Santa always says, duh?"  
  
"Why does he say that!?" he looked at Yamcha, who looked confused on what Miari was talking about. Then it hit him.  
  
"Oh!" he laughed, "Not like that you dope! That's just the way he laughs. It doesn't mean anything like that."  
  
"Oh." Miari sighed in relief, glad that kids weren't supposedly being brought presents by an imaginary man who supported pimping. "Well, what sleigh was Randy going to guide?"  
  
"Not Randy, Rudolf!" said Bra. "And Santa's sleigh of course." Miari still didn't understand. Trunks sighed, wondering if his future self was just being stupid.  
  
"Santa comes to your house in a sleigh. That's how he makes it all the way around the world in one night. That night it was all snowy and he couldn't see where he was going so he got Rudolf and told him to lead all the reindeer around the world so the Christmas wouldn't be canceled."  
  
"All right, all right!" said Bra. "Now I'm going to finish!" She began again, "Then all the reindeer loved him! As they shouted out with glee: Rudolf The-Red-Nosed-Reindeer, you'll go down in history!!"  
  
"Like Columbus!" finished Trunks, as Bra looked ready to kill him.  
  
"Daddy!" she yelled. Vegeta turned back to them.  
  
"Trunks shut up and leave her alone, or else." Trunks scowled and folded his arms. Bra smiled at having gotten Trunks in trouble, and Miari returned to staring out the window, now having even more to wonder about.  
  
  
  
A/N: Please R&R my friends!! Thank you!! 


	3. Written in the stars

A/N: On to chapter 3!! And for those of you who have read my fic Choices of a Warrior and wanted to know if I'll post any more on it soon, yes I will! Probably next week though. hope you don't mind!  
  
  
  
CH 3  
  
They arrived at the Son house to be greeted as the last to arrive. Chichi was in the back with Videl and Eighteen setting up tables and Marron, Pan, and Goten were already running around playing. Bra and Trunks ran to join them while the men decided to sneak away and spar for a while.  
  
"You coming Miari?" asked Krillen. He nodded.  
  
"Yeah, sure." They were about to make off, before Eighteen came around looking for Marron and busted them.  
  
"And just where do you think YOU'RE going?" she asked. "I thought we said no sparing until AFTER we ate." All the boys jumped, surprised at being caught. Eighteen scowled at them.  
  
"Um. we weren't going anywhere." said Yamcha, trying to play innocent. She gave him one of those 'do-you-think-I'm-stupid?' looks. She looked around at the group, spotting Miari. "And who are you? You look familiar."  
  
"That's Miari, Eighteen," said Krillen. "You remember him right?" Eighteen looked him up and down. She remembered Krillen telling her about him, and what the androids had done in his time.  
  
"Yes, I remember. Hello," she offered. Everyone stared, waiting to see what he'd say. At first it felt strange. Just looking at her brought back memories. But at the same time she seemed different. Something in her eyes, and the way she acted. She had a certain soul that the other androids didn't.  
  
"Hi," he said back, even smiling a little. The breath everyone had been unconsciously holding let out, no longer afraid Miari would break out and start attacking her.  
  
"Hey guys!" Bulma called from the back yard. "Come on! Food's ready!" The Saiyans didn't wait for her to say more, as they rushed over, the others following right behind them. But let's face it, no matter how fast you are, you're not going to beat a Saiyan to a food source.  
  
Out in the back was table after table piled up with food, from turkey to rice to pudding and everything else in between. Despite the tradition that you were suppose to have a Thanksgiving dinner, Bulma, Chichi and Videl knew that if you tried to cook like that for Saiyans it would probably take three days, so they decided to just start cooking three days ahead of time. But of course, then try to get those same Saiyans to wait until the end of the day to eat. Impossible. So they decided, let's just put out the food and they can eat early then play around all day if they wanted.  
  
The girls laughed, seeing the eager look on all the Saiyan's faces.  
  
"Now hold on boys," said Chichi. "We have to say grace first." All the guys groaned.  
  
"Grace?" questioned Miari. "Okay, grace. Let's eat." Although he'd never seen this much food before with the knowledge that he could eat as much of it as he wanted, he knew he didn't want anything to stop him from experiencing it. Marron laughed.  
  
"No silly, it means we each have to say something we're grateful for, then we can eat. That's what Thanksgiving's about; being thankful for what we have."  
  
"Oh, .okay," he said uncertain. "Um. like what?" Marron sighed.  
  
"Like this," Pan said, "I'm thankful for my mommy and daddy and my friends."  
  
"Yeah, and I'm thankful for the same!" said Marron, Bra nodding as well.  
  
"I'm thankful for food!" said Goten, getting impatient.  
  
"And I'm thankful I'm not you," said Trunks. Bulma gave him a look.  
  
"And I'm grateful that Miari decided to stay with us," she said.  
  
"I'm thankful that we're ALL here and no one's off in other world," said Chichi. They went around, Videl, Gohan, Goku, Krillen, Yamcha, Eighteen, and the rest (save Piccolo and Vegeta) went around saying things similar.  
  
"What about you Miari?" asked Gohan. Miari thought.  
  
"Well, I guess I'm thankful for a lot of things. I guess the same as you guys. I'm glad to be here with all my friends."  
  
"And you, misters anti-social?" Videl asked to Vegeta and Piccolo. Piccolo scowled.  
  
"Peace," he said. She nodded. Everyone looked at Vegeta. He growled.  
  
"And I'm thankful that we're done with all of this so we can eat," he said. Bulma sighed.  
  
"I guess that'll do Vegeta."  
  
"Can we eat now!?" asked Goten. Chichi nodded.  
  
"YES!" he and Trunks yelled running off, the others right behind them.  
  
"Maybe we should hang back for a while you guys," said Krillen.  
  
"Yeah, if we go over there now one of them might mistake us for a chicken leg," agreed Yamcha.  
  
Eventually they all got through the tables, and after everyone was full, decided to go spar. Miari was sitting out for one round, along with Trunks and Goten. While they were resting, Bra and her friends came over to sit.  
  
"Hiya niisan," she said, "Hiya other niisan."  
  
"What do you want?" said Trunks.  
  
"Nothing," Pan scowled, crossing her arms.  
  
"Then go away," said Goten.  
  
"You don't own the back yard," said Marron.  
  
"I own it more than any of you!" said Goten. "It's MY house."  
  
"So?" said Pan, "My dad used to live here and my grandpa and grandma still do so there!"  
  
"Oh shut up!" said Trunks.  
  
"You!" said Marron.  
  
"You!" said Goten.  
  
"You!" said Bra.  
  
"YOU!" said Trunks and Goten.  
  
"Miari," complained Bra. "Tell them to leave us alone!"  
  
"No, tell them to get lost!" said Trunks. Miari shook his head.  
  
"Why don't you guys stop fighting and just relax?" he said. "There's nothing to be so mad at each other about."  
  
"Then what are we supposed to do?" said Marron. "We have nothing the same."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Trunks. "They're girls."  
  
"And they're boys," said Pan.  
  
"What's wrong with boys?" asked Goten.  
  
"Well what's wrong with girls?" asked Bra.  
  
"Nothing except they're stupid."  
  
"Are not! Boys are!"  
  
"Girls!"  
  
"Boys!"  
  
"Girls!"  
  
"Boys!"  
  
"Hey!" Miari said, "Alright, okay. You really can't do anything together except argue?"  
  
"Nope," said Goten, shaking his head.  
  
"Nuh, uh," said Marron. Miari chuckled a bit.  
  
"How about talking to each other? Conversation?"  
  
"I guess," Goten said, pouting as the girls sat down with them, smiling. Bra plopped down in Miari's lap.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Bra.  
  
"Nothing. Just resting," he said.  
  
"Why do you fight all the time?" asked Marron.  
  
"Cuz it's fun!" said Trunks.  
  
"Yeah duh!" said Goten.  
  
"But don't you like to do anything else?" asked Bra. Trunks shrugged.  
  
"We like to play hide-and-go-seek," he said.  
  
"Oh, that's fun!" said Pan. Goten's eyes widened.  
  
"You guys like to play that? I thought you guys only liked to play with dolls and stuff."  
  
"That's fun, but it gets boring sometimes," said Marron. "We usually end up going outside and playing tag."  
  
"I didn't think girls did that," said Trunks.  
  
"Let's play!" said Bra, "Come on!"  
  
"Yeah!" said the girls, standing up. Trunks and Goten looked at each other.  
  
"Well." said Goten. He looked at Trunks. Trunks shrugged.  
  
"I guess," he said standing. "But only because we're bored with sparing. And because Goten wants to, so I'd have no one to spar with."  
  
He stood along with Goten and they ran off together. Miari sighed as he watched them go, wishing that could have been him as a kid.  
  
"Lucky brats," he muttered. From behind him he heard a laugh. He turned to see Piccolo behind him.  
  
"You certainly got them to calm down quick," he said. "You know, ever since they've known each other, I don't think I've ever seen them ever play together." Miari nodded.  
  
"It's sad. But I think if they could find something they all like they'll be good friends." Piccolo smirked. "Yeah I know. Sounds pretty sappy huh?" he said.  
  
"No," he said, "I think it'd be nice. A lot more quiet. And I think you're right."  
  
"They're lucky," he said, "To be young and have friends like them. Friends that understand."  
  
"They are. The ties they make now as children will help them in the future, and they will need it. Without people you care about, the will to fight will not last long. The more people you have to fight for. The more motivation." Miari nodded.  
  
"I wish. that I had been so lucky." Piccolo look down at him. Miari was intently focused on the scene in front of him. Trunks and Goten sneaking off into separate trees that still had enough leaves to keep them hidden from Bra, who was 'it', as Marron was under on of the tables and Pan was looking for a bush without so many thorns. "To have friends to play with whenever I want. Just kid games too. Nothing serious. Just to be a kid." There was silence for a while, both saying nothing. Miari looked down.  
  
He hated to admit it to himself, but already he wasn't liking it here. Not because it was a bad place. Just the opposite, it was wonderful. But seeing himself younger, seeing the others only seemed to be life reminding him of what he never had. Of what his time could never be like. Even if he stayed here in the end, he knew already he could never be one of them really. He was a Z-fighter, but he was very different from them. He didn't have a pervious time with so many friends. And these things that seemed so normal and everyday to them were completely foreign to him. Already he half felt like some alien.  
  
He sighed deeply. What was the point to this? What was he here for anyway?  
  
"Who cares?" asked Piccolo. Miari looked up at him. "What are any of us here for? Who really knows?" Miari stared at him in confusment.  
  
"You. You-"  
  
"Read minds? Of course. I have fused with Kami after all, and he knew very many things he didn't let on." Miari nodded. Great, so he heard everything he just said. He probably thought he was being stupid and immature for thinking the way he was.  
  
"Not really," he said. "Actually, I think you're one of the few of us here with real sense." Miari stared even more at this. "I don't know you very well Miari. Trunks. But I know that you are more like us then you think. I nor Vegeta have a past like the others. To us everything was strange and at first pointless as well. But in time, you learn, and you change." He looked to Miari and smiled Kami's smile. "We are here to protect and defend. Not just the Earth, but each other and what we believe in. That is what we are here for."  
  
"I don't belong here."  
  
"And why do you think that?"  
  
"I am not from this time."  
  
"Trunks," Piccolo (or at this point it seemed Kami had more control) said, "We are all from different places. Some more different than others. But the point is that destiny, the plan our lives had before we were born, has all led us to the same place and for the same purpose. That is what is important. Do you understand?" Miari looked down again, then up at the sky, which was darkening with the oncoming night. Already, you could see some stars peeking out through the black blanket that was coming over the world. A cold breeze stirred around them, ruffling through the tree leaves on he ground.  
  
"I understand what you're saying Piccolo-san," he said, "But I'm not sure if I agree." He looked over to see Piccolo in deep meditation, blocking out the commotion the women were making trying to round up their husbands and kids, but Miari thought Piccolo knew what he said anyway.  
  
He took a deep sigh and leaned back on the cool grass, staring up at the heavens.  
  
"Destiny," he repeated. "Perhaps our life is written in the stars." He watched, as another star appeared, smiling bright like the others.  
  
"I wish I would have gotten some better stars."  
  
A/N : As usual, R&R please! (and BTW, it was more of Kami talking to Miari in that last part than Piccolo, just because I thought it'd be a little ooc for Piccolo to say some of those things.) 


	4. Shopping and Santas

A/N: Next chapter for you, maybe the last I post today. (I've posted all of the previous ones on the same day I'm posting this.) I think I'm gonna make it in time! Yay! (gee, now I know what it feels like to have a deadline) Enjoy!  
  
CH 4 The next day, Miari woke up to more shaking, only this time it was much nicer and less bouncy.  
  
"Miari-kun, come on. Time to go," said Bulma, trying to wake him. He groaned and rolled away from her.  
  
"Go where?" he asked, pulling the covers over his head.  
  
"Shopping silly," she said. "If you're going to stay here for a while you'll need some clothes. Plus all the sales start today. It is the Christmas season you know." Miari didn't answer, having already begun to drift off back to sleep.  
  
"Oh no you don't," she said, grabbing the blanket away from him. "Now wake up. If you're not downstairs in the next five minutes. I'll get Chibi." Miari woke up.  
  
'Not that demon alarm clock again!' he thought, sitting up. She smirked.  
  
"I thought that would get your attention. Now hurry before I really do send him over here." Miari sighed, dragging himself out of bed. He pulled on his normal clothes, which had been washed, after rinsing himself off in a quick shower. He pulled his long hair back in a messy ponytail, half of it falling out.  
  
As he went downstairs, he rubbed his arms, realizing how cold it was. He passed Trunks on the way, who was bouncing down from his room.  
  
"Cold ain't it?" he said. "Mom just turned the heaters on so it's gonna take a while to warm up all of the house, but it'll be fine by the time we get back." Miari nodded and from downstairs, Bra came running up to met them.  
  
"Trunks! Trunks! It's snowing!" she exclaimed.  
  
"No duh it's snowing," he said. Then to Miari, "You have seen snow before right?" He nodded.  
  
"Of course I have. I see it every year. And every year I like it less and less. Too cold," he said as they reached the bottom of the stairs and were greeted by a very impatient Bulma.  
  
"About time," she said, then with a sarcastic air, "I was afraid you got lost up there or something. I thought I'd have to send the rescue dogs after you. And Miari couldn't you have at least brushed your hair out? Honestly." He shrugged, as she turned and headed out to the car.  
  
The mall. Miari had been in a mall before. There had still been a few, plus Gohan had told him about what many different things were like before the androids came. Miari knew what a mall was.  
  
This wasn't a mall. This was a nuthouse/zoo/boxing ring/everyone-for- themselves-survival-of-the-fittest-weastling-match, all stored in a nice little box about bust at the seams.  
  
And his mother from this timeline, it seemed, was an veteran of this insane war.  
  
She dragged all of them from store to store, picking out clothes for them (Trunks and Bra needed some new winter clothes too) and gifts for friends faster then Miari could separate one store from the next. Just as bad, he was used as her personal Carrier-of-Bags. It seemed, from what he gathered that this was usually Vegeta's job, but this year it had been passed on to him as he was easier to get out of the house and didn't insist on wearing spandex.  
  
They entered what must have been the hundredth store, when he finally found a beach where he could sit down for awhile while Bulma continued her shopping crusade. Trunks and Bra came to sit down with him, bored of the seemingly endless journey through rows and aisles and racks of. stuff.  
  
Bra sighed very loudly, showing her boredom and tiredness. Trunks rocked side to side, trying to keep his longing to bust out and run around like mad under control. Miari just leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind of all the running and yelling and whining of children. And above it all, the signs and store owners called:  
  
"Get into the spirit! It's Christmas time folks! Don't be a Scrooge!"  
  
Miari didn't have a clue what a scrooge was, but if this was Christmas; grown women fighting over toys, candles, dresses, and other things Miari felt were virtually useless, along with kids whining for this doll or that video game while men were dragged around and used as human shopping carts, who needed Christmas?  
  
On his left, he felt a small tug at his jacket. He looked down to see Bra.  
  
"Ne?" he asked her, wondering if she was going to start whining for another doll as she had been doing every time they passes a toy store.  
  
"Can we go see Santa?" she asked. He stared at her. What did she mean by that? Bulma had explained to him a little bit more about the Santa Clause person, and he knew supposedly he lived at the North Pole. Did she mean she wanted him to take her there?!  
  
"Uh." he started, not knowing what to say.  
  
"It's okay Miari," Bulma called over to him. "Just let Trunks show you the way, he knows where to go." Trunks lifted his head and bit and smiled, feeling superior as kids will when they know something no one else does.  
  
"Let's go," he said taking off, Bra following him. Miari grabbed all the bags, and ran after them, trying not to lose them in the crowd of people. Luckily, he managed not to let them get too far ahead and caught up with them when they came to a halt. He looked around, wondering why they stopped. They were standing in an amazingly LONG line, that lead into a small mini-house village. There were tall, fake pine trees along the path the line followed and they were all decorated with colored balls, shiny sliver and gold fuzzy stuff, little figurines hanging from strings and even more of those damn' lights.  
  
He looked over to see were the line began to lead into the fake forest- village thing a few feet in front of them. By the entrance was a sign that said:  
  
SEE SANTA HERE  
  
Under that was a picture of a smiling man who's cheeks were candy apple red, just like the hat on his head which was surrounded on the brim by fluffy white that perfectly blended with his puffy beard and mustache that contrasted with his small, beady little eyes.  
  
Miari jumped a bit at seeing it. 'What in the world.?' he thought. From right behind him he heard a familiar voice asking,  
  
"What's wrong?" Miari turned to see Gohan there with Goten and Pan.  
  
"Oh, hi Gohan," he said, then doing the best he could to point to the sign, "What is that thing?" he asked. Gohan looked over and seeing what Miari was indicating laughed.  
  
"That's Santa you dope," he said. "That's his picture."  
  
"All these kids are lining up to see his picture?" Gohan shook his head.  
  
"No. Come on with me and I'll explain it to you."  
  
"But what about them?" he asked, jerking his head at the kids.  
  
"Don't worry. They'll go through the line and we'll wait at the end for them to come out. Besides, we'll look like a bunch of idiots standing in line with them. Plus these kids can take care of themselves, right?" he asked down to them. Pan looked up and nodded, smiling.  
  
"See?" he said, grabbing Miari and pulling him along. "Like I was saying, that was just a picture of him. Kids go through the line and at the end they meet 'Santa Clause'. They sit on his lap, tell him what they want for Christmas, and get a candy cane."  
  
"I thought there was no Santa Clause."  
  
"There isn't. It's just a guy dressed up as Santa Clause."  
  
"If there's no Santa Clause, then how do they know what he looks like?" Miari questioned. Gohan sighed.  
  
"They just do! It's just they way he looks! Like the Easter Bunny." Miari stared at him, blinking. Gohan shook his head. "Never mind." Miari shrugged.  
  
"In any case," he said, "I don't like the picture of him. He looks sorta creepy."  
  
"Creepy?" said Gohan, surprised. "He's Old Saint Nick! How can he be creepy?"  
  
"Old Saint Nick? I thought you said he was Santa Clause."  
  
"He is! Geez, the guy has more than one name."  
  
"I'm confused," he said. "Why is there more than one name for the same guy who doesn't exist and yet everyone knows what he looks like?"  
  
"It just is," said Gohan, exasperated. Miari shook his head. This Santa Clause thing made no sense at all. About as much sense as Christmas did. "Hey look, there they are," Gohan said, pointing over to the group of kids who just came out of the make-believe town.  
  
From where they were standing, they could clearly see the big, green chair and the fat man in a red suit sitting in it. Miari knew it must be Santa. He still didn't like the looks of him.  
  
He wasn't as concerned for Trunks. He knew he could handle himself as could Goten, but he watched like a hawk as Bra and Pan went up there. He knew there was probably nothing major to be concerned about, but still, he was taking no chances.  
  
Bulma showed up just as they group of chibi demi-Saiyans were coming over to them.  
  
"Did you get to see Santa?" she asked them as they looked up to her, nodding. She smiled.  
  
"Well I gotta go," said Gohan. "Videl and mom are waiting for us in some other store and they'll get mad if we're not back soon." Bulma nodded and waved as they headed off in the other direction.  
  
Miari followed her as they weaved in and out of the other mobs of people, stopping in a few more stores before she would leave. All the while, Miari kept his eye on Bra and Trunks. There was something strange, he thought, about them after going up there. They seemed happier, and filled with something he couldn't really place as Trunks now held on to Bra's hand to make sure she wouldn't get lost in the crowd. He wondered for a moment if maybe they'd been possessed by something. And yet, if they were, he wasn't so sure this thing was something bad.  
  
When he questioned Bulma about it, she just laughed and said,  
  
"It's called Christmas spirit. Don't worry, you'll catch on to it soon."  
  
'Christmas spirit?' he thought, then looked out at all of the mall's other shoppers. Despite the fact that most were running here and there, shoving past each other and grabbing for things, a few were just walking slowly together. Some holding hands, others laughing and joking around, and some others just sitting on benches next to each other, tired after running around from place to place and taking a break to just enjoy their friend's company.  
  
"Christmas spirit," he said again, then smiled. Maybe there was something to this after all.  
  
  
  
A/N: Hehe, I love this whole clueless-Miari thing. Please R&R!!! Thankies! ^_^ 


	5. Snow Wars

A/N: Hiya! Another chapter for today. I hope to get another one up today, but I have to write it first. But when I do, it'll be up! For now, enjoy the next chapter!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
CH 5  
  
On December 5, there was a blizzard. On December 6, there was a war.  
  
"Ha! You call THAT a throw? You're never gonna catch me with a wimpy toss like that!" Trunks yelled.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Marron said, "Take one step closer and me and Goten are gonna let you have it!"  
  
"Huh?" he asked, confused, then was knocked to the ground by a flying snow ball to the kisser. He looked over to the right to see Goten grinning.  
  
"I got you! I got you!" he sang, dancing around. Trunks scowled.  
  
"Goten you traitor! I'll get you for that!" Goten smirked.  
  
"Try your best!" Trunks smirked as well.  
  
"Let it rip guys!" he yelled. Marron and Goten stared in confusment as a huge mass of snow began to rain from above.  
  
"AHH!" they yelled, trying to avoid it, but there was no way they could have gotten away as they were buried under what must have been two feet of snow from above. Once they dug their way out, they looked up to see Bra and Pan on the roof with one of Trunks' inventions he'd been putting together for the past week or so.  
  
The Snowmenator was a huge pump that sucked up snow and sent it threw a large hose to bury the unlucky victim in the white powder. Bra and Pan almost fell off the roof laughing. Trunks had flown them and the Snowmenator up there to get the best shot. He fell over laughing at the look on Goten and Marron's face. They both scowled as they pulled themselves out the rest of the way.  
  
"Trunks you big cheater! This is a snowball fight you idiot! Not a create- your-own-avalanche fight!" Trunks stood, still laughing.  
  
"Sorry Goten, but you know what they say: All's fair in love and war." This lead to much more running around and avoiding of snowballs between him and Goten, while Pan and Bra jumped off the roof and followed Marron off to make some snow angles instead.  
  
From far off, you could hear the laughing and playing of the chibis, but further in the woods near the Son's house, everything was dead silent. Miari crouched down lower into the shelter of the bushes, peeking through the branches for any sign of the enemy. Right above him, Goku sat in the tree, posing as lookout.  
  
Looking down to Miari, he whispered,  
  
"Hey, you got plenty of snowballs ready?" He nodded up to him.  
  
"Good, because I think they're coming this way."  
  
"Then get down here or they'll see you." Goku obliged, jumping from his perch. He and Miari held their breath, as they heard footsteps coming closer. They lowered their ki, hoping not to be noticed before they launched their ambush.  
  
The footsteps were closer as the feet making them moved carefully through the snow, trying not to make so much noise. When they felt close enough for a good attack, Miari and Goku jumped from behind their hiding place and pelted the victims with snow.  
  
"Ack! Hey guys knock it off! It's us!" He and Goku stopped to realize it was Eighteen and Yamcha, their own teammates.  
  
"Opps, sorry guys," apologized Miari. He gave Goku a 'look', "I though you said it was them." Goku rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"Yeah, my mistake I guess." he grinned. Eighteen rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well let's hurry and split up again before the others find us all together. Like this it'd be too easy for them to just get us all at once."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Yamcha, "Especially since you two used up half your ammo on us." Miari nodded.  
  
"You're right. This IS too easy." They all turned to see Vegeta standing on a tree above them, smirking. In his hand, he held a nice, round, tightly packed ball of frost. Yamcha crossed his arms.  
  
"Yeah, you may be up their Vegeta, but there's only you. You can't take all of us," he said, unnoticeably backing towards Goku, Eighteen following in suit. Miari smirked at him, making sure he was close enough to Goku to grab his arm.  
  
"Not quite," he said. From the left, out popped Gohan, ammo in hand, and on the right, Krillen also came out, followed by Videl from behind.  
  
"Now you're surrounded," she said. "Prepare to surrender!" Miari mirrored Vegeta's smirk.  
  
"Never!" he said, grabbing onto Goku at the same time as the others. In a flash, all four disappeared. The other stood, still looking at the place they had been. Krillen groaned.  
  
"Oh great! We for got about that!" Vegeta growled.  
  
"Kakkoroto!" he yelled, "That's not fair!" Videl sighed, shaking her head. Stupid boys.  
  
A good few yards away, they reappeared and continued running away, laughed to themselves. When they reached a good place to hid near the lake, which had frozen over, they ducked down and hid, still grinning at their great escape.  
  
"I wish I could have stayed behind just to see their faces," said Yamcha. Goku nodded in agreement.  
  
After the excitement of their escape wore off, Eighteen said,  
  
"We should start reloading. They'll be back looking for us soon."  
  
"Right," agreed Miari.  
  
"Miari, you go with Eighteen this time. Yamcha come with me." They nodded, running off in separate directions. While Goku and Yamcha headed off to the left, Miari and Eighteen headed around to the other side of the lake.  
  
They looked around, trying to think of a place they could attack from and store the most snowballs.  
  
This so-called war had stared about ten in the morning. At first it was just the Saiyans, but then the chibis ran off and Krillen and Eighteen showed up. After they decided to join in, Videl wanted to too. Then Yamcha came to help even up the teams. No one really knew what the point of it was, or how anyone would win. They supposed whenever the other team was completely covered with snow and surrendered. Of course with the Saiyans playing, it wasn't very likely that that would happen very soon. Despite that, everyone seemed to be taking this game very seriously.  
  
They decided to climb up on a cave that the lake ran into when it wasn't ice.  
  
After arming themselves well, they kept a lookout, trying to get the best view around them without being spotted themselves.  
  
"Eighteen," he said, "You don't have a ki level."  
  
"Yeah, and?"  
  
"If you fly, they won't be able to sense you."  
  
"Yeah, and?"  
  
"Well, fly up there and be a lookout! If I go they'll all sense my ki." She nodded, rising up a little higher than the trees. "Make sure they don't see you!"  
  
"And how am I supposed to do that genius?" Miari thought for a moment. He looked at the sky, trying to see if there was anything that might hide her without looking suspicious.  
  
"Try to hide in the clouds," he suggested. "It's should be low enough that you'll still be able to see, and dense enough that they shouldn't see you." Eighteen looked up, seemingly debating the likeliness of that working. Figuring 'what the hell?' she rose up to hide behind the drifts of clouds.  
  
Miari watched her go. It still felt funny being around her like this. Half the time, his mind's eye replaced her with the Eighteen of his time, but it always went away as soon as she started talking. She was just much more human. He wondered if the Eighteen he knew had gotten to know Krillen before killing him, if maybe she would have turned out like this too. They stayed in their positions for about ten minutes, until Eighteen came shooting down out of the sky to land next to him.  
  
"They're coming this way," she said. "All of them." Miari smirked.  
  
"Alright, get ready." They loaded up with their snowballs and crouched down, ready to spring on them.  
  
"Alright baldy," said Vegeta scowling, "Where are they?" Krillen backed up in fear.  
  
"Hey calm down. I said I THOUGHT I saw Eighteen over here. But she could be long gone by now." Vegeta growled.  
  
"Great," sighed Gohan, "Now what do we do? They're not here and we don't have a clue which direction they went."  
  
Eighteen looked over to Miari.  
  
"Now?" she mouthed. He shook his head.  
  
"Now hold on guys," said Videl. "For some reason, I don't think they went very far." She walked closer to the lake, stepping on it timidly. When she saw it was firm enough, she stood on it. "I think they may be hiding in there!" she said, pointing towards the cave.  
  
Slowly, the others, grabbed some snow and followed as she crept closer to the opening of the cave. Miari pushed his ki down as far as he could, knowing at this distance it would be very easy for him to be felt.  
  
"Now?" Eighteen mouthed again. Miari shook his head, then looked over to the forest. There, Goku and Yamcha were creeping, ready to pounce on the others unexpectedly. He nudged Eighteen and showed her. She nodded.  
  
Goku gave them the signal that he was going to use Instant Transmission to get close. Miari nodded.  
  
"When he does that we'll jump down to help," he half mouthed, half whispered.  
  
Below, the other four had gotten to the mouth of the cave. They were about to enter, when Goku and Yamcha appeared behind them and began to pelt them with snow.  
  
"Ahh!" yelled Krillen running into the shelter of the cave. The others followed. However, Yamcha and Goku ran out of their weapon quickly, and the others were prepared to be on the attack.  
  
"Hey now guys," Goku said, backing up, holding his hands up in defense.  
  
"You wouldn't attack an unarmed enemy, would you?" asked Yamcha. The others just smirked.  
  
As they raised their arms to fire, Miari and Eighteen launched their attack, decided instead of throwing little individual snowball, to just push a lot of snow on them.  
  
PLOP!!!!!!!  
  
Miari and Eighteen laughed as the four were covered with a huge mound of snow. Gathering up the little snow they'd left over, they sprung down to help finish them off.  
  
However, that wasn't exactly how things went.  
  
As soon as Miari and Eighteen hit the ice, there was a loud 'crack'. Everybody looked around, wondering what that sound was. The next second, the ice seemed to disappear from under their feet and with a loud 'splash!!!' everyone was sent into the freezing cold water.  
  
"Yaaaa!!!!!" yelled Yamcha and Krillen, struggling to get out of the icy water. Eighteen, unaffected by the cold, flew out easily and quickly. She was followed by Videl as she also thought of flying before splashing around like the boys were. Eventually, they all made it out, collapsing on the ground beside the lake, all shivering with cold.  
  
Yamcha stood up first, and declared, laughing,  
  
"WE WON!!!" Vegeta stood up next.  
  
"What! You did not!" Goku stood next.  
  
"Did too! Admit it Vegeta!"  
  
"No," backed Gohan. "You did not! This was a snow war, not drown-everybody- in-freezing-water war." Miari stood up, smirking.  
  
"Don't get mad. Besides, you know what they say: All's fair in love and war." (A/N: The similarity's creepy ain't it?)  
  
"Well right now I'd LOVE to kick you right back into that water!" said Gohan. Videl shook her head, coming down out of the sky followed by Eighteen.  
  
"Come on guys. No one won. Now let's go back inside." The boys turned to face her like she said something horrible.  
  
"No way I'm I tying with Kakkoroto!" said Vegeta.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Goku, "Because WE won!" Vegeta growled.  
  
"Baka! You take that back right now!"  
  
"Why don't you try and make me!" Things continued much like this all the way back to the house. Miari smiled as they walked back to the house, led by the two girls who were wondering why men always had to make EVERYTHING a life-or-death competition.  
  
  
  
A/N: Please R&R!!! I need support!! 


	6. Home Sweet Home

A/N: Final chapter!!! Enjoy!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
CH 6  
  
  
  
Vegeta smirked, taking the blow from his son and flipping to land gracefully and return charging towards him. Miari ducked the first few blows, then aimed to kick through the opening in his defense. Vegeta caught him and threw him back against the wall. Shaking it off, he jumped to his feet to resume the fight.  
  
After a few weeks, it was now Christmas Eve day. Having nothing better to do with the day, Vegeta decided it was time to see how his son had been doing in the area of training. Miari had agreed to his challenge, hoping that he hadn't gotten too rusty, admitting to himself he hadn't been training as much as he probably should have been.  
  
For the past few days, Miari had been learning more and more about this life. After the initial snow war three weeks ago, Miari had spent his time playing with Trunks and Bra who taught him a lot, or hanging out with Gohan who explained everything they couldn't. Even though in that time they had sparred and trained a little, Vegeta now wanted a one-on-one match with his son, to test his true power.  
  
However, even if Miari wanted to give him his full attention at the moment, he found it impossible. Tomorrow was Christmas, when he would have to decided whether he would really stay in this time or not.  
  
It shouldn't have been a hard choice, and it wouldn't seem like it to someone who didn't understand. Who didn't understand what it was like to see all those people suffer for so many years. He'd known them for so long, some only by face, but he still knew them all the same.  
  
The woman with long brown hair and her daughter who always wore the same little green dress. And Daren, that young teenage boy and his girl friend Claire who were always together. Both orphans, and both in love. And Tsuyo, just born a month ago to a woman with short, light pink hair. So sweet and inarguably adorable.  
  
Them, and so many others me could see in his mind's eye. All wanting nothing more than for the world to go back to the way it was, even when some didn't know what that was like, but just knew it was better than what they were living in now. But that couldn't be. Never. He knew it with a hopeless certainty.  
  
But did that give him the right to abandon them?  
  
Miari sighed, slumping on the floor of the gravity room after being thrown against the wall again, breathing hard. Vegeta stood above him with his arms crossed.  
  
"Haven't been training much I see," he said. Miari looked up, shaking his head.  
  
"No, I guess not. Or at least not as hard as you." Vegeta smirked.  
  
"Well, you haven't completely let yourself go. You took longer to knock out than I thought you would," he admitted, letting himself transform back to normal. Miari returned to normal as well.  
  
"You didn't knock me out," he said. "Just out of the air."  
  
"No, I meant out of your daydream. Besides, you stayed on the floor long enough that I could have killed you. It works well enough for me." Miari scowled, standing. "But don't worry brat," he told him, "Now that you're staying here, I'll see to it personally that you don't slack off."  
  
He looked down to the floor, not responding to that. Looking out of the window of the G.R., he asked, "How do you know if I'm going to stay?" Vegeta grunted.  
  
"Why wouldn't you?" Miari shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. I guess just because," he paused, "maybe I don't belong here." Vegeta snorted again.  
  
"What are you talking about brat? Don't like it here?" Miari shook his head.  
  
"No! No, that's not it at all! I love it here. It's a lot more fun then back home."  
  
"Then what's the problem?" Miari shrugged.  
  
"Well, I was talking to Piccolo a while ago. He said something about having a destiny and that our life is already planned for us since the day we're born. I'm thinking, if I feel so strongly that I should go home, that that's where I should be. That maybe that's were I should stay."  
  
"Why do you feel you should leave?"  
  
"Because I'm supposed to." Vegeta scowled.  
  
"Who cares what you're 'supposed' to do? What should that have to do with anything?"  
  
Miari turned back to the floor. "Because it's my responsibility. Maybe I do like it better here, but so what? Maybe I should go back. Maybe it's my destiny to stay there with them."  
  
There was quiet between them both for several seconds. Vegeta walked over to him, putting his hand on his shoulder. Miari was startled a bit by the gesture, but didn't let on.  
  
"Brat," Vegeta said, "You should know something: For Saiyans, there is no such thing as destiny." Miari looked up at him, as Vegeta backed away, crossing his arms. "Destiny is for lazy bakas who are too think-headed to admit sometimes shit happens and sometimes the position your in is one you put yourself in."  
  
"So you think I brought this on myself?"  
  
"No, I think that thinking you have to stay there because it's 'destiny' is stupid. Nothing is planned out in life. You make for yourself what you can of your situation. If that place is as bad as you say, if it has as little chance for ever getting better, then I think you should consider if that's what you want to be left with when it's all over." Miari stared, not understanding at first. Vegeta scowled.  
  
"I'm saying, baka," he said, "that if you had one day left alive, only one, where would you spend it? What would you want?"  
  
"I'd want to be here."  
  
"Then stay here. Destiny isn't what life gives you. It's not where life puts you. It's what you do with your life and what you do for yourself that makes your destiny." Miari nodded.  
  
"Maybe you're right," he said. Vegeta 'humphed'.  
  
"Of course I'm right! Brat! Now come on," he said. "Kakkoroto and those other bakas are probably here by now and the woman will yell at us if we don't go over there soon."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
All afternoon, and late into the night, they had a party. Food, music, dancing, everything. Of course, the chibis had to go to bed early, or risk Santa not coming.  
  
When they decided to call it a night, Bulma led everyone into spare bedrooms, which the house seemed to have an endless supply of. It took work to get all of the Saiyans off of their sugar high from the cookies and candy, but after letting them work it off in a few quick spars outside, even they were tired enough for sleep.  
  
Well, not all of them. While he wasn't wide awake, Miari wasn't asleep either. Rolling over to look at the alarm clock, he saw it was already three o'clock in the morning. He sat up, now feeling restless. Gently, he climbed out of bed and crept over to the window. Slowly, he opened it and flew out to land on the roof of Capsule Corp.  
  
He sat down after brushing away a clear area from the snow that had gathered on the roof and looked over the city. Maybe the woods were nice and peaceful, but the city had a certain air of human life that the forest lacked. The lights glowing softly below, mirroring the stars in the sky gave him a sense of peace.  
  
"Pretty huh?" Miari nodded, already knowing who the voice belonged too.  
  
"Yeah, it is Gohan." Gohan smiled and came to sit next to him, clearing off a spot for himself. Neither said anything to each other for a while.  
  
"Thinking about something?" asked Gohan. Miari nodded. "What? If you don't mind my asking." Miari shrugged.  
  
"Home." More silence. Miari turned to Gohan. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course," he said. Miari thought.  
  
"Gohan, do you think it's wrong for me to stay here?" Gohan looked at him strangely.  
  
"No, of course not. Why would you think something like that Miari?"  
  
"Well, it's my choice, whether to stay here or not. And, people say I should do what I want. But does that make it right? That's all I want to know. I keep asking, and everyone keeps telling me I should stay. But that doesn't answer my question!"  
  
"Miari I-"  
  
"I mean, it would be great to stay here! It would be the best! But I think about all those people, and no matter what I say to myself I feel like I'm turning my back on them. And in the end, I care a lot about all of them. Even if I don't really know them as well as I should. And everyone pretty much knows everyone over there. I don't know. I just can't get over it!" he ranted.  
  
"Miari I-"  
  
"Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much. Maybe I should just stop thinking about it and stay. I mean I guess that's what I'm gonna end up doing anyway. Whether I want to or not. I mean how could I say 'no'? After all Bulma's gone through too. I'd feel bad if I left. And I know she wants me to stay-"  
  
"Miari!" he yelled, trying to get his words in between Miari's ranting. "Look, I think they're right. This is your choice and you should do what makes you happy. YOU, Miari. Not everyone else, and not what everyone else thinks would make you happy. I know everyone's kinda giving you an idea about what you should do, They all want you to stay Miari. You're one of us." There was a pause, then he continued, "But then again, you're very different. It might seem like an easy choice to us, but I guess it's different from your perspective."  
  
"I thought it would be an easy choice. I feel like a fool because everyone seems to know what I should do but me. And the thing is they all agree with each other."  
  
"Miari, only you know what's right for you. You aren't a kid anymore. I'm not a kid anymore. I decided, even though fighting seemed like what I loved, and what I should do, that what I really wanted was to be something more. I fought with it inside for a long time. I was good at fighting. My dad was a warrior. I was strong. But it just didn't feel right on some level. There was something inside me that didn't want to fight. I feeling or an impulse to learn and make something more of myself in the human world. Not just to be a scholar for my mom, but I guess so I could make sure my family would always have me around. Not like how my father was gone all the time.  
  
"The point is, you have to chose what you really want. And when you finally admit it to yourself, you realize that it wasn't such a hard choice after all. If you're finding it so hard to make the choice to stay, maybe it isn't the choice you should be making."  
  
Miari thought about that for a while, both shivering from the icy wind. It was probably going to start snowing soon. He looked up at the sky, watching all the stars above winking down. The same ones he looked up too at home. And yet these ones were different. They weren't the ones he'd watched late at night from his window when it was late and he would wait for Gohan to come back from fighting, back when he was much to young to go. They weren't the ones who'd watched him shed tears for the death of him. Or the ones to comfort him when he was apprehensive about the first trip he took to the past all those years ago.  
  
Sighing heavily, he stood up, Gohan following in suit.  
  
"You're right," he said, turning to face him. "A choice like this, should be so hard." He closed his eyes, and turned to let the wind blow his hair back. "And now that I think about it, it isn't." Gohan smiled  
  
"So, you've decided then?" Miari nodded. "You sure?" He nodded again.  
  
Jumping down from the roof, he was already digging in his pocket. Gohan followed him down.  
  
"So what will you do when you get there." Miari smiled.  
  
"Well, first I think I'm gonna reintroduce Christmas. Even if I have to build a spaceship and go somewhere else to get all the stuff I need."  
  
"How will you build a ship?"  
  
"I don't know. But I'll just worry about that when I get there."  
  
"You sure you got everything you need?"  
  
"Yeah. I have all my stuff in capsules. I guess really I though I would do this all along." Gohan smiled some more. Miari's fingers finally found what they were looking for, and he pulled out the capsule.  
  
Looking down at the small piece of cold metal in his hands, he realized this would probably be the last time he used it. He pressed the small button on top, tossing it a few feet away.  
  
It burst open to it's full glory, still perfectly clean on the outside, despite the fact it was practically held together with paperclips underneath. Miari ran he hand over the word that was scrawled on the side in black marker. The only thing he'd lived on for a long time. The only time that kept him going. And what he felt, could maybe, in that one and a million chance save all those people now.  
  
Hope.  
  
"I'll miss you Miari," Gohan said. Miari turned to face him one last time. Saying good-bye to the closest thing he'd to Gohan forever.  
  
"I'll miss you too. Sayonara, my friend."  
  
"Are you going to say good-bye to the others?" Miari shook his head.  
  
"No, somehow I think it'd be too hard. I hope they'll forgive me." Saying no more, Miari climbed into his time machine. He set all the coordinates and started the motor. As the engine came to life and he rose into the air, he waved down at Gohan, who waved back.  
  
Looking around one last time at this place, this wonderful, happy place. He tried to remember everything exactly as it was.  
  
'That way,' he thought, 'I'll know for sure when I've set things back to normal in my time.'  
  
In a bright flash of white and blue light, Miari and his ship disappeared forever from the present. Finally, Miari felt he was going home.  
  
And this time, he wasn't sad at all.  
  
~~Owari~~~  
  
A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! ^_^ 


End file.
